515,000 Points, All On One Page, to Travel the World in Luxury on the Cheap

I receive compensation for many links on this blog. You don’t have to use these links, but I am grateful to you if you do. American Express, Citibank, Chase, and other banks are advertising partners of this site. I do not write about all credit cards that are available — instead focusing on miles, points, […]

The post 515,000 Points, All On One Page, to Travel the World in Luxury on the Cheap appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/12/08/465000-points-one-page-travel-world-luxury/

Uninhabited Québec

I peer out of the lighthouse window, watching the wide, murky Saint Lawrence River easing past on its journey to the Atlantic Ocean. Thousands of sea birds squawk and shriek on the rocks below. I think about the men who spent years cooped up alone on this little island in the remote wilds of Québec, illuminating the way for the weary mariners who sailed by in the darkness of night.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/08/uninhabited-quebec/

My Award Taxes And Fees Are How Much?!?!

Unlike Ben, I don’t have a “sixth sense” when it comes to pricing fuel surcharges. Nine times out of ten he can guess the taxes and fees on a given award within $15, which is a pretty cool party trick.

I do, however, have a good “general sense” of how much things should costs, particularly when dealing with an airline that doesn’t impose fuel surcharges. When you eliminate fuel surcharges, you’re mainly dealing with the government-imposed taxes, which are pretty consistent.

Most airlines have a computer that prices award tickets. The computer validates the routing against the published rules, calculates the taxes and fees from the published fare, and totals the final price for the agent.

Barring that, airlines have a rates desk, which is typically the powerhouse of the airline. This is a powerful component of the operation, and you generally find the best and brightest agents staffing the rates desk. What they say pretty much goes, and front line agents seem to be taught to treat their word as law.

And then there’s US Airways.

The post My Award Taxes And Fees Are How Much?!?! appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/08/award-taxes-fees-much/

Why guest blogging still matters

Guest blogging has had a rocky road over these last several months.

from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/guest-blogging-still-matters/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=guest-blogging-still-matters

Korean Air Flight Delayed Over Nuts

Well this story is just nuts! A Korean Air flight on Friday from New York to Seoul returned to the gate after an angry executive seated in first class wasn't pleased with how she was served her nuts.

Via Yahoo News:

"Heather Cho, 40, was in a first class seat on a flight bound from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport for Incheon, near Seoul, on Friday when she took issue with a flight attendant who handed her macadamia nuts in a bag and not on a dish, according to local media reports and an industry source.

Cho, a vice president at the airline, summoned the cabin crew chief to ask whether the flight attendant was following the in-flight service manual, said the industry official, who was briefed on the matter but declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter."

The post Korean Air Flight Delayed Over Nuts appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/08/korean-air-flight-delayed-nuts/

American Bringing Us Lie Flat 757s and Improvements to US Airways Cabins

American announced several aircraft cabin improvements, some which are a really big deal. All but a “handful” of American’s new aircraft will have seat-back video screens throughout. All of the planes in the carrier’s primary jet fleet now have Wi-Fi, with plans to expand to it to regional aircraft, said Joshua Freed, a spokesman. American’s […]

The post American Bringing Us Lie Flat 757s and Improvements to US Airways Cabins appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/12/08/american-bringing-us-lie-flat-757s-improvements-us-airways-cabins/

Red light jihad in Thailand

A holy war rages in the city where Malaysians indulge in sleaze forbidden back home.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/pulse/red-light-jihad-islamic-insurgency-thailands-strangest-party-town/

How to avoid missing your flight

from Elliott http://elliott.org/advice-you-can-take/avoid-missing-flight/

Royal couple has big plans in New York

Prince William and Kate start their whirlwind tour of New York City on Monday, one that could include mingling with the American version of royals.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/08/us/new-york-uk-royals/index.html

Olympic Dreams: Traveling to Rio

National Geographic Traveler editor at large Christopher Elliott is the magazine’s consumer advocate and ombudsman. Over the past 15 years he has helped countless readers fix their trips. Here’s his latest advice.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/08/olympic-dreams-traveling-to-rio/

EVA Air Taipei To Houston Flights Starting June 19, 2015

In October I wrote about EVA Air's latest route announcement, whereby they'll be starting service between Taipei and Houston as of next summer. The Taiwan based carrier also said they plan to commence flights between Taipei and Chicago as of 2016, though no timeline has been announced for that.

Obviously this growth is caused by their entry into the Star Alliance last year, which is opening up a lot of new routes for them thanks to the easy feed they can get from United in the US.

Anyway, EVA Air has now published the schedule and opened reservations for their new 4x weekly Boeing 777-300ER flight between Taipei and Houston, which launched on June 19, 2015. Via airlineroute.net, the flight will operate with the following schedule:

The post EVA Air Taipei To Houston Flights Starting June 19, 2015 appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/08/eva-air-taipei-houston-flights-starting-june-19-2015/

Aziz Ansari's imagination takes flight as he creates #GhostPlane

Well, that's one way to crowdsource.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/08/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/aziz-ansari-ghost-plane/index.html

If Your Life Is a Movie and You’re the Director, Why Did You Add this Scene to It?

Imagine your life as an epic, three-hour movie. In this saga there are numerous high points and low points, and both drama and comedy. There are coming-of-age moments and passages of growing older. There will likely be some real challenges, and maybe even a few moments when you think you won’t make it. The movie…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/your-life-as-a-movie/

Cyberattacks loom as aviation threat in soon-to-be $1 trillion overall exposure

While the media focuses on certain system breaches and other cyber attacks, global insurance provider Allianz has signaled a reminder of the ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/cyberattacks-loom-aviation-threat-soon-1-trillion-overall-exposure/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cyberattacks-loom-aviation-threat-soon-1-trillion-overall-exposure

Buying American Miles Now Counts As Airfare Spend

I've written in the past about which airline and hotel loyalty programs process points purchases directly.

When you buy points directly from an airline or hotel, they're often processed by points.com, which acts as the third party in these transactions. While the points.com interface is quite easy to use, the downside is that the purchase is processed by them as well. That means the purchase wouldn't qualify as airline or hotel spend as far as your credit card is concerned.

Conversely, some loyalty programs process points purchases directly. For example, Avianca's LifeMiles program processes points purchases directly, and that means when you buy miles with them you earn bonus miles as if it's airfare.

The post Buying American Miles Now Counts As Airfare Spend appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/08/buying-american-miles-now-counts-airfare-spend/